Double the Fruitive, Double the Fun: Certified Organic Restaurant to Open Two Norfolk Locations

Colley Avenue is about to receive a boost of healthy, vegan goodness.

Fruitive, a 100% plant-based organic restaurant, is taking over the old Pita Pit space in Ghent next to the Naro Cinema at 1501 Colley.

image | Fruitive

“We’ve had Norfolk on our hearts every since we first opened Hilltop almost five years ago,” said Gregg Rozeboom, the owner of Fruitive, which is based in Virginia Beach. “Right after we opened we had people say, ‘You’ve got to come to Ghent!'”

In the past Rozeboom and his team looked in Freemason, by Cure, but they had their eyes on Ghent the whole time.

“We kept waiting for the right opportunity,” Rozeboom said. “Ghent is really a dream come true, for not only me, but for many of our customers who have been requesting it from the beginning.”

“We’re the only certified organic restaurant in the state right now,” said Rozeboom. “We’re so passionate about wanting to promote health and wellness through food. We care about the quality of ingredients, whether it’s local or a coffee bean coming from across the world.”

For those that have never been to Fruitive, it feels like you’re eating food watered by the fountain of youth. Rozeboom said that customer favorites include avocado toast, peaches and greens (a phenomenal liquid meal), the Tuscan kale wrap, and Hail to the Kale salad. For their whole menu, click here.

“(What sets up apart) is our passion for giving every customer who walks through the door the quality we’d want for our families,” Rozeboom said. “Our community is our family.”

Jesse is the editor of AltDaily.com and a columnist for the Norfolk Compass & PilotOnline. His work has been published on the pages of The New York Times and on televisions everywhere through his time as a documentary producer with B.E.T.

Jesse often writes about the causes he believes in, including public art, public education, improved mental health care and awareness, the NEON District, government transparency, civic engagement, the decriminalization of marijuana, alternative transportation, and supporting local businesses and culture.

In a former life Jesse was a public school teacher in Brooklyn and San Diego, and a mentor at a home for young men in Cape Town, South Africa. He is a devoted yogi, Knicks fan, live music lover, and road tripper.